20/08/2004

UN warns against revenge over Tutsi refugee massacre

The UN has warned Burundi's armed forces against retaliation for last week's massacre of Tutsis by rebel forces as it may plunge the region back into further turmoil.

Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno of the UN Department of Peace-keeping Operations (DPKO) said that those making "bellicose statements" over the slaughter of nearly 160 Congolese refugees in the Gatumba transit centre in Burundi last weekend that the aim must be "justice, not revenge".

His remarks came after briefing the Security Council in closed session on the latest developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi. In May the Council authorized a peacekeeping force for Burundi, known by its French acronym ONUB, with a maximum of 5,650 military personnel. The force has received just over 3,000 troops so far.

Mr Guéhenno said that the danger of violence in the region was high, and stressed that "all leaders [must] step away from the brink".

The issue of the 1994 massacre of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda should also be resolved once and for all because they have been "motivated by an ethnic agenda that is a poison in the region".

Mr Guéhenno also called on member States to contribute resources to peacekeeping efforts in the area.

(gmcg)

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